the great war (wwi)images.pcmac.org/sisfiles/schools/ct/northhavenschools/northha… · nation ex....
TRANSCRIPT
“The great rule of conduct for us in
regard to foreign nations is,
in extending our commercial relations,
to have with them as little political
connection as possible.”
-George Washington, Farewell Address, 1796
• Summarize each clause so that you understand
• Determine if each clause is more concerned
with punishment or peace
• Put a “pun” next to each punishment clause
• Put a “pea” or peace sign next to each peace
clause
• Determine if each clause addresses one of the
war’s causes
Causes of War
• Nationalism—sense of pride and loyalty to a nation
ex. uniting ethnic peoples living in other areas, flags, boundaries, songs, etc
• Imperialism—quest for colonies (territory and raw materials) and extending one’s power across the world
ex. Territorial rivalries included Russia desiring a warm water port, the French wanting land (rich in coal and iron) back from Germany, overseas possessions in Africa, Asia and the Middle East
Causes of War
• Militarism—glorification of armed strength,
arms race, rapid industrialization
• Alliances—involved treaties in which members
agreed to aid each other if attacked by an
outside power
ex. Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-
Hungary, Italy
Triple Entente: Great Britain, France, Russia
The Spark
• 28 June 1914—Assassination of Archduke
Francis (Franz) Ferdinand (heir to the throne of
Austria-Hungary) and his wife by a Serbian
nationalist in Sarajevo, Bosnia (province in the
Empire)
War Begins
In a complex chain of events:
• Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on 28 July
• Russia declared war on Austria-Hungary
• Germany declared war on Russia and France
• Great Britain declared war on Germany and Austria-Hungary
• Italy remained neutral until 1915 (when they joined Great Britain and France)
Alliances
• Allied Powers: France, Great Britain, Russia, Italy
• Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary,
Ottoman Empire (Turkey)
• U.S. originally remained neutral
War in Europe
• war of attrition—each side tried to wear down the other
side through constant attacks
• trench warfare—400 miles on the Western Front were
dug out, armies fought from behind fixed fortifications.
• heavy artillery fire followed by a charge across the
territory in between—no-man’s land.
• barbed wire, land mines, enemy’s bullets
• unsanitary conditions: flooding, rats, and lice.
Territory gained between 1915-1917 was only a few miles.
American Intervention
• 28 million Americans (almost 30%) were immigrants or children of immigrants.
• German submarine warfare destroyed ships with American passengers: Lusitania
• Wilson threatened to cut diplomatic ties with Germany. They responded with the Sussex pledge: promise to not sink ships without warning.
• Germans asked Mexico to form an alliance against the U.S. in exchange for reconquering lost territories in America.
Involvement
•The U.S. entered the war in April 1917
on the side of the Allied Powers.
•American Expeditionary Force (AEF): led
by General John J. Pershing, pushed the
German army back in 1918.
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwo
ne/launch_ani_western_front.shtml
War at Home
•Taxes were raised
•War bonds were sold
•Americans were asked to reduced their
food and fuel consumption
•Business and government worked
together--boards and agencies regulated
production and prices
Selective Service Act
• required men age 21-30 to register
(later changed to 18-45).
By the end of the war:
• 24 million had registered
• 2.8 million were drafted
• 4.8 million had served
War at Home (cont.)
•War propaganda: films, posters,
pamphlets, etc. to portray the war as a
good vs. evil battle
•Committee on Public Information (CPI)—
used an intense propaganda campaign to
“sell” the war to Americans
•Anti-German sentiment
War at Home (cont.)
•New jobs were created
•Women working grew by 6% and 1.5
million worked in industry
•Labor shortage gave opportunities to
Mexicans and African American workers
• Great Migration (1915-1930) of African
Americans--hundreds of thousands
moved from the South to northern cities
War at Home (cont.)
•Censorship of the press
•Espionage Act and Sedition Act made
opposition to the war a crime
Armistice (cease-fire)
•League of Nations—international body
designed to prevent wars
•Other leaders were more concerned with
punishing Germany
Big Four: Wilson
•David Lloyd George
•Georges Clemenceau
•Vittorio Orlando
Plan for Peace
•Wilson’s Fourteen Points—
intense and idealistic vision of
world peace
•self-determination—the right of
people to govern themselves
•Other points dealt with secret
diplomacy, the arms race,
violations of freedom of the
seas, and trade barriers
Treaty of Versailles
•compromise
•Germany blamed for war, forced to pay
billions of dollars in reparations
•New nations created/re-established:
Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Poland,
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
•France reclaimed Alsace-Lorraine
•League of Nations established
Treaty of Versailles
•U.S. Senate never ratified the treaty—
opposition to League and possible U.S.
involvement in future foreign conflicts
•Wilson suffered stroke